Cole-Hamilton: Government spent more than £338,000 on TikTok

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today warned the Scottish Government about its use of technology that could infringe on security and privacy as he revealed that the government has spent more than £338,000 to date on the social media app TikTok.

A parliamentary question submitted by Mr Cole-Hamilton asked the Scottish Government how much it had spent on TikTok in each of the last five years. The total comes to £338,533, including £27,474 having already been spent between January and March 2023.

In recent months, TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny over concerns that users' data could, in theory, be handed over to Chinese surveillance authorities.  

On 16th March, Mr Cole-Hamilton asked the Scottish Government whether it would follow the UK Government and ban TikTok from government devices. The Scottish Government issued this ban on 23rd March.  

Commenting on the expenditure, Alex Cole-Hamilton said:  

“There are real fears that platforms like TikTok could be exploited in such a way as to threaten national security. 

“John Swinney said that there was “limited use of TikTok within government” but this level of expenditure shows that the Scottish Government were actually enthusiastic partners.

“From Hikvision cameras implicated in Uyghur surveillance to their super ID database, this isn’t the first time the Scottish Government has charged ahead with installing new technology without properly considering the implications for security and privacy.

“Banning TikTok on government phones is a welcome starting point, but now it's clear that we need a commitment that the Scottish Government will not be spending any more money on this app and a strategic audit of the reach of China’s interests and influence in Scotland.”